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This book went to get library bound in 1984, according to its original check-out card. And guess what? It gets to go get library bound AGAIN, which is why it’s on my bench. I’m taking off the old & worn library binding, cleaning the spine, putting a nice reversibility layer of Japanese tissue on it, […]

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In today’s gross-out corner (aka the fume hood), I examine a book for evidence of mold. Spoiler alert: it is VERY moldy.

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Weeding the conservation lab’s own research library, and these VHS tapes are getting scrutinized (by me) for their usefulness to future lab inhabitants. So far I’ve been able to find a DVD version available of “Into the Future”, which is also a great example of the 90′s era of internet optimism. As for the others, I […]

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Just got a treat via Interlibrary Loan! The much-beloved, but limited-run journal known as “Recent Setbacks in Conservation”. Thanks to thegetty for loaning them! I’ll take good care of them while they’re in my possession. 🙂 Here’s just a sampling of what articles are contained within: “Restoration from Beyond: Is There a Happy Medium?” “Preserving a […]

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Ah yes, scraping tape residue off marble paper, so glamorous!

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Making rice starch paste in the conservation lab, using our coveted Cook & Stir. That thing makes some darn good paste. (Source: https://vine.co/)

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(Don’t) nuke it from spaaaaaaaaaaace

Soooooooooooo, I was doing some research and stumbled across an article from a 1989 issue of Library Journal, titled “ Nuke ‘Em! Library Pest Control Using a Microwave“. (The article isn’t available for free online, but you can probably find it in your local library) Oh, what could possibly go wrong?  Well, fortunately for you, dear […]

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Sometimes my job feels a little surreal… (I’m repairing the inner hinge of this book, which has some very expressive endpapers)

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Our order of custom-cut boxes from Talas arrived, and I spent the morning assembling them and figuring out which book fit into each box! The boxes arrived flat, so I had to fold them into shape first before they could be filled with a book. It was a little bit like a puzzle…and fun because […]

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What tape does to paper. You can see my fingers through the tape, which has made the paper translucent.